Part
01
of four
Part
01
RapidFlu/Strep Diagnosis
Retail pharmacies in the US that currently offer rapid flu/strep diagnosis include Meijer, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Publix pharmacies, Magnolia Pharmacy, and Rx Clinic Pharmacy.
RAPID FLU/STREP DIAGNOSIS
- Meijer, CVS and Walgreens have pharmacists and nurse practitioners who conduct rapid flu/strep diagnosis.
- Walgreens conducts A & B rapid flu testing and releases the results in 15 minutes.
- CVS Pharmacy offers rapid flu and strep test through physician assistants at its MinuteClinic locations.
- RediClinic, Rite Aid's pharmacy service, offers instant diagnosis for five ailments including flu and strep.
- Publix pharmacies offer diagnostic tests for flu and strep.
- Magnolia Pharmacy in Magnolia, Texas offers rapid flu and strep testing.
- Rx Clinic Pharmacy in Charlotte, North Carolina offers rapid flu and strep testing.
FLU ANTIVIRAL PRESCRIPTION AGREEMENTS
- Kroger pharmacy was involved in collaborative practice agreement (CPA) training for Salt Lake City area pharmacies to prescribe flu antiviral medications, but it is not clear whether Kroger has secured the agreement.
- Rx Clinic Pharmacy has a procedure where they call the prescriber of Tamiflu for the treatment of flu after a positive test result and request for a prescription to be sent by phone or fax where they do not have collaborative practice agreements.
RESEARCH STRATEGY
To find retail pharmacies in the US that currently offer rapid flu or strep diagnosis, we started by looking publicly available lists of such retail pharmacies. But we did not find any list of retail pharmacies in the US that currently offer rapid flu or strep diagnosis. We then conducted an extensive search through the public domain for retail pharmacies in the US that currently offer rapid flu or strep diagnosis. Through this strategy, we were able to find different retail pharmacies that offer such diagnosis.
Although optional, we proceeded to search for retail pharmacies in the US that having agreements in which they can prescribe flu antiviral medications Tamiflu or Xofluza. We only found examples of community and government-owned pharmacies like WesternU PCC Pharmacy with such agreements.
We also found a Collaborative Drug Therapy Agreement (CDTA) developed by Washington State Pharmacy Association, and Public Health - Seattle & King County for use by local health officers, authorized prescribers, and pharmacists to prescribe flu medications in Washington State. But there is no information on the individual pharmacies that are using the agreement or if the medications included Tamiflu or Xofluza.